1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bottle openers Specifically, the invention is a bottle opener which opens both twist open and pry open caps, which is worn on the hand or wrist, and which may include a watch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bartenders frequently serve customers beer in bottles having caps which are difficult to remove. Most beer bottle caps either must be pried off using a bottle opener, or twisted off by grasping excessively sharp ridges around the edge of the cap. When a bartender needs to remove the cap, their bottle opener is frequently not within easy reach, causing the bartender to use his hands. Opening multiple bottles with one's bare hands sometimes results in cuts, and is always unpleasant.
Several other inventors have proposed various bottle openers. However, no inventor within the knowledge of the present inventor has proposed a bottle opener worn on the hand or wrist which stays completely out of the way when not in use, and which also serves as a watch.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 261,854, issued to Fred Nielsen on Nov. 17, 1981, shows a twist-off cap gripper.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,578,627, issued to J. C. Baumgarten on Mar. 30, 1926, describes a bottle opener which is worn as a ring. The bottle opener includes a slot for prying off bottle caps, and a point at the top of the slot for perforating the top of the bottlecap to equalize air pressure. Unlike Baumgarten, The present invention avoids the necessity of having a sharp edge protruding from the ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,911, issued to Frank H. Carter on Jul. 8, 1969, describes a grip and twist bottle cap remover. The bottle cap remover has a hand engaging member on one side of an elongated member, and a finger engaging member slidably mounted to the elongated member. The hand engaging member and finger engaging member are squeezed together around the bottle cap, making the cap easier to grasp.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,741, issued to Charles A. Heine on May 28, 1974, describes a bottle cap remover. The bottle cap remover has a ring-like structure, with grooves and ridges on the interior surface corresponding to the grooves and ridges on the bottle cap, and a second set of grooves and ridges on the exterior surface for grasping. The bottle cap remover may include a key chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,132, issued to Robert R. Kendall on Nov. 25, 1980, describes a cap twister bottle opener. The bottle opener has a pair of rings, with each ring having a thick portion and a thin portion, with bottle cap engaging teeth on the thick portions. The rings are pivotally secured together by a pin passing through the thick portion of one ring and the thin portion of the other ring. Placing the rings around a bottle cap and sliding the rings so that the teeth move together engages the bottle cap for turning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,129, issued to Louis Allen on Oct. 27, 1987, describes a gripper for container caps. The gripper is made from resilient material, and defines a recess for receiving a bottle cap. Grasping the exterior, applying pressure, and twisting causes the gripper to retain and turn the bottle cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,866, issued to Caroline L. Walker on Jan. 23, 1990, describes a bartender's glove. The glove has an index finger portion and a thumb portion, with a leather grip affixed between the index finger and thumb. The leather grip is used to frictionally grip a twist off bottle cap. This invention provides no means for removing a pry off type cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,233, issued to Charles M. Erwin on Jul. 28, 1992, describes a bottle opener glove. The glove includes a cap-engaging hook and a fulcrum bar affixed to a rigid back plate. The back plate is attached to the palm portion of the glove. Unlike Erwin, the present invention avoids the necessity of having the bottle opener affixed to the palm, preventing use of the hand for other purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,299, issued to Stephen Kondos on Nov. 16, 1993, describes a bottle opener. The bottle opener is basically a conventional opener having a handle attached to a flexible piece of material. The piece of material has a wrist strap at one end and a pair of finger holes on the other end, so that the bottle opener is secured to the user's hand. Unlike Kondos, the present invention allows full use of the hand while the bottle opener is in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,922, issued to George M. Floyd, Jr. on Jan. 11, 1994, describes a bartender's glove. The glove includes a bottle opener attached to the upper palm portion, a padded area between the thumb and index finger for twisting off bottle caps, a cigarette lighter, and a marker or pencil within the index finger portion. Unlike Floyd, the present invention avoids the necessity of constantly having the bottle opener attached to the palm of the hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,832, issued to Ronald E. Tegethoff on Jul. 19, 1994, describes a pull tab can opener. The opener includes hook extending from a finger band.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,297, issued to Ivan J. Grubich on Jun. 23, 1998, describes a gripping device. The device is a strip of flexible material with a band on each end. One band secures the strip to the thumb, and the other band secures the strip to the index finger.
U.K. Pat. No. 517,142, published on Jan. 22, 1940, describes a bottle opener for bottles having rotatable caps. The bottle opener includes a forked end, with each fork having teeth for engaging the bottle cap. An additional arm is located between the fork members, in a slightly higher plane, which rests on top of the bottle cap while the bottle opener is in use, preventing the opener from slipping downwards.
International Application No. WO 94/11295, published on May 26, 1994, describes a forearm openable closure for containers. The opener is intended for use by people who have reduced manual dexterity. The opener has upwardly extending forearm engaging members, which may fold against the side of the container when not in use.
None of the above inventions provides a bottle opener which is worn by the user, opens both twist and pry off type caps, remains totally out of the user's way until needed, and is combined with a watch. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a bottle opening device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.